The Arizona Cruisers Invade the Allure of the Seas, April 28, 2013 ~ A Pictorial Revi

[Sunny AZ Girl]

At that exact moment, you were holding my gift, so elegantly wrapped in a Cheryl's cookie bag :) I think Lynn ended up with it, if I remember right.

I ended up with Katie's gift. I loved her little recipe book from Cape Cod. I was browsing through it last night and getting hungry!

 

Geek Squad, or land pirates!

 

It turned out to be an internet problem, even though my computer said I was connected. The Geek Squad wanted $200 for a maintenance program on a 5 year old computer. If I bought a new one it would be $100 for 3 computers.:rolleyes:

Edited May 23, 2013 by Sunny AZ Girl

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Ginny and Bill, thanks so much for your wonderful reviews. I have really enjoyed reliving our cruise.

 

We somehow missed both the Wipeout Café and the Bagel Bar at the Park Café. That won't happen on our third journey on the Allure!

I think you could sail this ship 5 or 6 times and not see/do it all. That is why I would love to do the T/A in 2016.

 

Great review, but I am missing the pictures? Is it just me?

 

This is making me want to be an Arizona cruiser! I love when groups come together like this!

We are seeing the pictures here at work. And most of the time that type of thing is blocked!

 

We would love to have you as an AZ Cruiser! The weather isn't so bad here most of the year, either. Just don't visit over the next 3 months.:eek:

Edited May 23, 2013 by Sunny AZ Girl

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Fantastic review and pictures! :)

Thanks a lot.:)

 

I'm enjoying your review. Guess we need to join your happy circle of friends, as we absolutely love cruising and live in Ahwatukee. Haven't had the good fortune to sail on the Allure yet, but one of these days we'll take the plunge.

 

Yes, you need to join us! Just click on the link in my signature. We even have a party coming up at Talking Stick Resort pretty soon.:cool:

[Az's Cruising Nana]

Let me provide a different perspective on Ginnys review. After the meet and mingle we decided to go to the boardwalk for hot dogs. I wanted to shop also. We ended up on the same deck as the photo gallery as we had stumbled upon a Dreamworks Parade about to start. We ended up staying and watching. We thoroughly enjoyed the parade it was not long and don't worry about where you are as they do a bit circle route along the promonade. There was also great access to the characters at different venues. It was not difficult to have a photo op with them at all. We ended up ending the afternoon at the Bow and Stern Pub for a refreshment or two. We ended up sitting outside though as it is a smoking venue and the cigars smoked us out....:cool: There we crossed paths with Lisa and Steve who joined us.

 

I have to say one of my bigest disappointments was our night at Chops. I have had way better Fillets bought at our local Hobe Meats in Phx and Sprouts. There was simply no flavor to it. Combined with our busy waiter who would make a statement then slowly drift off as he noticed something at another table of us. He would wander away for a few minutes then eventually come back. He was very personable and also working by himself. However I do have to admit any night I don't have to cook and clean is never a complete loss.......:)

 

I will quit hijacking Ginnys thread and hopefully she will be back soon. I do believe she is off tomorrow.

 

Sue

[Familygoboston]

Yeah we had reservations & we got there about 15 minutes before the show and stood in line. Little did we know that those standing in line were on the wait list. Thank the good Lord above that the lady mentioned to us standing in line that they only had 5 seats available and we spoke up and said but we have reservations. So she checked our names and let us enter. Unfortunately, DH & I had to sit apart from each other because there weren't 2 seats together. That really bites.

 

 

 

My primary care doctor called me tonight and said she just got back the results of my culture that was taken on May 13th, (9 days after the culture test) and indicated that I had a staph infection. The antibiotics that they gave me to treat my infection were resistant so I really needed a different antibiotic. Thank God my body fought it off on its own with due diligence in packing the wound twice a day. I'm happy to report that the surgeon today was very impressed with my healing. He said "you packed this yourself?" and I said "yes, I have no choice so looking in a mirror at the back of my head, this is what I have to do twice a day" and he said "I'm impressed" so I guess I missed my calling. Maybe I should have been a nurse. LOL But it is healing well and is almost half the size of wound that it was a week ago. I have to keep packing it until it closes but he's happy with the progress. My headaches are improving and they don't usually last more than an hour and usually only a few minutes a couple times a day. Dizziness is still there and it may take awhile for that to disappear.

So glad you are on the mend! Maybe the surgeon will hire you;)

Jermaine’s e-mail address is

info@jermainestaxiandtoursdotcom

 

We negotiated down to 25.00 pp for 2 hrs total.

He initially wanted I think 36.00 pp for 5 or more people for 2.5 hr tour. The 36.00 includes the admission cost into both historical forts however we were not going to do those tours!

He was very nice and I think for a several hr tour he was excellent.

Have fun!!!:)

Laura

Thanks! We only have three, so I will have to see if I can scare up a couple form our roll call. I think it would be fun!

[BillOh]

There was also great access to the characters at different venues. It was not difficult to have a photo op with them at all.

 

That was another change from 2011. Then they actually prevented you from taking your own pictures with the characters back then. We did avoid them as much as possible then, but we stumbled across them a few times and actually got a couple of pictures.

[Quilting Queen]

Ginny I am enjoying reliving the cruise again. I am holding all comments until I find you need help.

 

Norine

[hcazrat]

Thanks a lot.:)

 

 

 

Yes, you need to join us! Just click on the link in my signature. We even have a party coming up at Talking Stick Resort pretty soon.:cool:

We would love to join you for the lunch at Talking Stick, but unfortunately we have something already scheduled for that day. Maybe next time.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

I have a hair appointment this morning and really need to find some time to pay bills, but I plan to get as much done on this today as possible! Thank you for following along.

 

Norine, if you don't mind adding your thoughts about Rita's Cantina since we did not go that would be appreciated.

 

Sue and I had different opinions about Chops. We enjoyed the meal and liked our steaks (Steve loved his), but I don't usually buy high grade cuts of steak at home and if we go out to a steak house it is usually Texas Roadhouse, so that is where I am coming from. The service was a bit slow, but I had planned that since they tell us to allow 2 hours. The company of friends on a special night made up for any other short comings. I think your taste in any of the food venues will be based on past experiences and expectations. So, for each of us that will be different.

[Arizona Laura]

Gene and I were disappointed in our food and service at Chops. We always have made a point to have dinner at Chops on our cruises. We expect dinner to be almost 2 hours but we have always had outstanding service. On the Allure it was choppy and strained I thought. We both thought our steaks were not up to par for Chops. I have to say the Red Velvet Cake for dessert was wonderful. We will return to Chops though on our next RCL cruise hoping this experience was a fluke.

 

So glad you will be continuing your review Ginny later today. We missed you!

 

Laura

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

That was another change from 2011. Then they actually prevented you from taking your own pictures with the characters back then. We did avoid them as much as possible then, but we stumbled across them a few times and actually got a couple of pictures.

 

I was surprised that they were taking professional pictures thru the ship as well as taking your camera to get a free shot too. I didn't end up buying any pro shots because ours turned out just as good. Shhh, don't tell RCI :p

 

I didn't eat at Chops but I gotta admit every dessert I had on RCI was awesome. I also believe that if you are paying to eat at a restaurant onboard, it should be top notch & exceed your expectations considering there are so many free options there.

[BillOh]

Gene and I were disappointed in our food and service at Chops. We always have made a point to have dinner at Chops on our cruises. We expect dinner to be almost 2 hours but we have always had outstanding service. On the Allure it was choppy and strained I thought. We both thought our steaks were not up to par for Chops. I have to say the Red Velvet Cake for dessert was wonderful. We will return to Chops though on our next RCL cruise hoping this experience was a fluke.

 

So glad you will be continuing your review Ginny later today. We missed you!

 

Laura

 

 

Keeping in my theme of comparing my first visit on Allure, our Chops visit was excellent. We had a truely great Chops visit on freedom, and then were a little dissapointed quality wise on Allure. The bake potato was half the size of Freedom and the Onion soup was just ok. This time both were excellent. I had had the NY strip on every previous Chops Visit, but I wanted to try the Veal this time. We had nothing else planned so we didn't pay attention to the time required. We had a nice couple from Cleveland next to us, so it past quckly. I guess they were segregating Ohio and Arizona that day.

 

 

PS, I live the ocean view Chops of the Voyager/Freedom class better for view

[katie0355]

Keeping in my theme of comparing my first visit on Allure, our Chops visit was excellent. We had a truely great Chops visit on freedom, and then were a little dissapointed quality wise on Allure. The bake potato was half the size of Freedom and the Onion soup was just ok. This time both were excellent. I had had the NY strip on every previous Chops Visit, but I wanted to try the Veal this time. We had nothing else planned so we didn't pay attention to the time required. We had a nice couple from Cleveland next to us, so it past quckly. I guess they were segregating Ohio and Arizona that day.

 

 

PS, I live the ocean view Chops of the Voyager/Freedom class better for view

 

My mom and I also did Chops on this cruise. It was my first time at any Chops and my mom's 3 or 4th (she's done it freedom class). We were both pretty disappointed. The quality of food was okay. Not bad, but nothing to write home about. Most of our disappoint came from where we were seated. We were seated at the table next the kitchen....if they ever try sitting you here, ask if it would be possible to change tables. It was noisy from the kitchen as well as too much traffic by the wait staff coming and going. I'm not normally bothered by this kind of thing, but that night it bothered me quite a bit. Most likely because I was trying to relax and wind down from the day, but there was a constant motion and noise going on around me. Again, easily solved if we had just thought to ask to be moved to another table...but definitely something I will remember for next time (because I hope there is a next time :) )

[swim13]

My mom and I also did Chops on this cruise. It was my first time at any Chops and my mom's 3 or 4th (she's done it freedom class). We were both pretty disappointed. The quality of food was okay. Not bad, but nothing to write home about. Most of our disappoint came from where we were seated. We were seated at the table next the kitchen....if they ever try sitting you here, ask if it would be possible to change tables. It was noisy from the kitchen as well as too much traffic by the wait staff coming and going. I'm not normally bothered by this kind of thing, but that night it bothered me quite a bit. Most likely because I was trying to relax and wind down from the day, but there was a constant motion and noise going on around me. Again, easily solved if we had just thought to ask to be moved to another table...but definitely something I will remember for next time (because I hope there is a next time :) )

 

Hey I noticed your are from where Candice Glover is from! Have you ever met her before, she is terrific.

 

Can't wait for more pictures!

[Arizona Laura]

Hey I noticed your are from where Candice Glover is from! Have you ever met her before, she is terrific.

 

Can't wait for more pictures!

 

I was a fan of hers throughout the competition.

 

Laura

[tarajean1962]

This is an awesome review and your pictures are great!!:D

 

Tara

[roudy1]

Great review...haven't read it all but will...like the OP "I will NEVER cruise on such a big ship"...LOL now all I can think about is looking for a cruise on either the Allure or Oasis. ;)

Hi Laura...saw this interesting thread looking for something on the Quantum. Great group you guys have.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

As we were scheduled to arrive in St. Thomas at 10:00 AM and be in port until 6 PM we had the opportunity to sleep in a little later than usual on a port day and still find somewhere to have a relaxing breakfast. For us breakfast at home is usually a quick piece of toast and a banana or a bowl of cereal, but on vacation it becomes an event. I am sure it has something to do with that problem of clothing shrinking between the time we leave for the cruise and the time we return home. So we decide to get ready and go find the offerings of the day.

 

I enjoyed sitting on the balcony while Steve was getting ready for the day. My balcony time was certainly proving to be limited on this ship. When I turned on the TV to check Restaurant Availability Windjammer was showing red. Here it was day 4 on the cruise and we had not yet stepped foot in the Windjammer, our reliable breakfast and lunch spots on past cruises. But since we had arranged to meet the other Arizona Cruisers at the Wipe Out Cafe at 9:30 so we could disembark together for our day in St. Thomas we decided to eat there again. Fortunately, no one had taken our Favorite Table in our Favorite Spot so we enjoyed our food and our view. We found that some of the others had chosen to do the same thing as we had spread the word about our little secret breakfast place.

 

While we were chatting the captain came on the loudspeaker and announced that we would not be arriving in St. Thomas until 11:00 due to the high winds and the seas we had been battling ever since we had left Nassau. They also extended our port time until 7 PM from the scheduled 6 PM to make up for the time lost in port.

 

I had arranged private transport to Sapphire Beach for the day with our friend Sunny Liston of Sunny Liston Tours for all of us. Sunny is a private tour guide who I had met by arranging tours with him several times in the past for our Roll Call groups. He is a tour guide, not a taxi driver, so I thought it was very nice for him to do this for us. He said he did this since I have been such a good customer. I am sure it also helped that we had a nice size group. I liked knowing that we would be picked up at both ends of the day and did not have to worry about regular cabs.

 

They announced that all ship tours would still go that day. The early ones would just go an hour later and the ones after 11:00 PM would go as scheduled. I wasn’t too worried about Sunny as I know he is monitoring when the ship arrived and would be there waiting for us.

 

Since we had extra time we all decided to go do our own thing and meet once again at our cabin once the ship docked since we were centrally located.

 

Since we had not yet watched the Flowrider and we were so close we went over to check them out. It must have been an “experts” time on the stand up boards, because these guys were really good!

 

 

I don't know who this guy is, but I was really impressed. He has more than a little snow on the roof, but look at him go! So, Mr. Senior Flowrider Guy, if you are reading this, please step forward and take a bow.

 

We watched the Flow Riders for awhile longer while we watched St. Thomas come into view.

 

 

We headed back to our cabin where some of our group was already waiting and we continued to watch as we sailed into Crown Bay.

 

 

Edited May 24, 2013 by Sunny AZ Girl

[Sunny AZ Girl]

The problem with an entire ship of 6,000+ passengers all ready to disembark in a port where you expected to arrive an hour earlier is that everyone wants to leave at the same time! So, when our little group of 12 headed to the elevators on Deck 8 we found that all of the elevators going down were jammed. So, this is where we discovered the value of going UP when trying to go DOWN! Of course, after we rode the elevator up to Deck 15 and headed back down again we stopped at floor after floor of people who, like us were getting frustrated at seeing one full elevator after another pass them by. I wonder how long it took some of them to figure out the same thing or if they just gave up and resorted to drinking beer on their balcony that day?

 

As I mentioned, it was twelve of us heading off the ship at this time. Laura is not much of a beach person, so she decided to stay onboard that day and enjoy the almost empty ship. I really have to do that sometime. We had a great time, but it sounds as if she had a nice day, too. Plus I have read other reviews where people have loved doing that. I think I will do that in an often visited port on next year’s cruise!

 

A ship the size of the Allure must dock at Crown Bay. I really do prefer Havensite where the smaller RCI ships dock, but Crown Bay is ok. As promised, Sunny was waiting to ferry us to Sapphire Beach and we found him easily.

 

 

This was Steve’s & my fourth visit to St. Thomas. On our first trip we went on one of Sunny’s Tours. It was a great tour, but the best part was the two hours we had at Sapphire Beach. The next time we came to St. Thomas we did a private day sail to St. John’s which was nice, but I decided afterwards that a sailboat was not really my thing. St. John’s is beautiful, but it does take a while to get there. So, when we were last there three years ago we decided that what we really wanted to do was mainly go to Sapphire. I arranged with Sunny to take our large family group there with a shortened included tour. I can truly say that for us it is our Favorite Beach. Therefore, to Sapphire we must return, this time with some of our very best friends, beach only. What could be better?

 

 

 

Our day at Sapphire was my most relaxing day of the cruise. We ate, drank, snorkeled and sunbathed (or in our case, just slept in the shade). Of course, the banner came along. Our Arizona Cruiser friend Pam, who had stayed behind, was texting Steve that she had the Sapphire Webcam up. She told us where to stand so she could get a screen shot of us. Here we are!

 

 

We rented chairs. I can’t remember the exact price, but I think they were $6 or $7 for the whole day. Umbrellas aren’t needed. The beach is lined with Sea Grape trees providing a ton of natural shade.

 

 

It was more crowded than in the past, probably because the ship is now running a Sapphire Beach excursion. However, it still wasn’t too crowded.

A girl running the beach grill came and took our drink and lunch orders. I tried the fresh Mahi-Mahi sandwich which was indeed fresh, but lacking a lot of flavor, so I think next time I will stick with a burger. But it was so nice to have lounge chair service that it didn’t matter.

 

We even had a dining companion. He was rather rude, though. He just ate and left.

 

[katie0355]

Hey I noticed your are from where Candice Glover is from! Have you ever met her before, she is terrific.

 

Can't wait for more pictures!

 

I have not personally met her, but I didn't go to any of the events she came home for. But I heard she is super nice in person and down to earth. One of my friends was a coworker of hers (before the show)...she also says Candice is a sweetheart. Which is always nice to hear instead of the usual "oh, know they are stuck up in person"

[Sunny AZ Girl]

The biggest disappointment to me at Sapphire Beach this year was the water conditions. The same wind and chop that had plagued us at Nassau and on the way to St. Thomas had followed and the wind was causing very wavy conditions on a normally placid beach. This part of the island is surrounded by out islands, including St. Johns which affords beautiful views and usually offers protection from the waves. We had experienced smooth water on our previous visits, but not this time. The waves had stirred up the bottom sand making visibility poor and also kept a lot of the fish away from the closer rocks and coral. However, many of us did go for a swim, some unintended. Just ask Jerry about what happens when you stand in the water ankle deep and a big wave comes your way. As they say in Hawaii, “Never turn your back on the ocean!” Lesson learned.

 

Steve and I found that by going out a ways the waves were really not a big problem. Steve got a few pictures while snorkeling and I just enjoyed paddling around.

 

 

 

My Challenge Of The Day was getting out of the surf. Luckily Jerry and Sheila saw my distress and came to my rescue. I’m glad Steve didn’t have the camera pointed my way for that – and if he did I wouldn’t post it!

 

A little while later our friends from Australia Rick, his Mum and Auntie joined us. They were doing a self-driven beach tour that day. We decided that they were very brave. The roads are twisty and turny up and down mountains with little passing room and the drivers are crazy.

 

 

 

At our prearranged time we met Sunny at the resort entrance just a few steps from the beach, I believe it was 4 PM. (I really need to keep better notes for these reviews.) We rode back to the ships to the tunes of Sunny’s Calypso Music, singing along. We stopped at a viewpoint for pictures.

 

 

 

After saying goodbye to Sunny most of our group headed back onboard. Sue and I stayed behind to shop at the Crown Bay stores for a bit while our guys got a head start in the showers. There is a limited amount of shopping at Crown Bay, but the stores that are there are nice. I bought Steve a new Hawaiian shirt that I could not pass up for his collection and I believe Sue bought some grand daughter gifts. We didn’t linger too long, though. We had 7 PM reservations at Samba Grill that evening!

[Quilting Queen]

Gene & I went to Rita's Cantina for lunch on a sea day. Georgia was tired or still unpacking I think.

 

Gene had a chili rellano that was big enough for 2-3 people. He only ate about 1/2 of it. I had a margarita and taco salad. It was good but not spectacular. It was not over seasoned with hot sauce so I was able to eat most of it.

 

Since being on South Beach Diet I eat a lot less than I did last year so had to save room for snack. After Georgia was out and about we got ice cream while Gene was in the casino. Later in the day I watch some of the Aqua show rehersals.

 

Norine

[Arizona Laura]

Thank you to all the Az Cruisers who babysat my DH on this excursion. :D

 

Laura

Edited May 25, 2013 by Arizona Laura

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Thank you to all the Az Cruisers who babysat my DH on this excursion. :D

 

Laura

He was even well behaved!:D

 

Edited May 25, 2013 by Sunny AZ Girl

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Gene & I went to Rita's Cantina for lunch on a sea day. Georgia was tired or still unpacking I think.

 

Gene had a chili rellano that was big enough for 2-3 people. He only ate about 1/2 of it. I had a margarita and taco salad. It was good but not spectacular. It was not over seasoned with hot sauce so I was able to eat most of it.

 

Since being on South Beach Diet I eat a lot less than I did last year so had to save room for snack. After Georgia was out and about we got ice cream while Gene was in the casino. Later in the day I watch some of the Aqua show rehersals.

 

Norine

Thank you, Norine for the addition. Rita's will be on list of "must do's" next time. I thought for sure I saw Georgia there with you. I must have been so used to seeing you together that my eyes played tricks on me.